Last year I had posted a year recap of “18 Rad Things That Happened In 2018” so I decided that I would keep continuing on with the tradition and create one for this year to reflect on the good (and bad) that the year had brought. It’s a great way to reflect back on the year and find the good amongst the bad, as it felt like this year was less than stellar for most. (Myself included)
(And again, these are roughly in order by date they happened)
Let’s start with the rad:
1 – Finally got some cross country skis to make a solid attempt at getting in more variety of outdoor activities in the winter (as I am still a little too chicken at getting back on skates).
2 – Josh and I got Oru Kayaks to add flat water kayaking to the mix of summer adventures and had a blast the few times we were able to get out.
3 – With the help of my Dad and Josh, I got a roof basket installed on my Jeep so I can carry more gear (or haul all our gear up top to have free space in the back of my Jeep if we choose to sleep back there instead of tent).
4 – I revamped my website / blog and started the year off blogging more often (which unfortunately fell to the wayside this summer. I have JUST got caught up!) I am hoping to blog more (and more regularly) in 2020 but no promises!
5 – Had a nice afternoon hike with my parents. (It’s been quite a few years since I’ve done this, so it was nice!)
Blog post: Off-Trail Hiking Somewhere Only We Know
6 – Hammock Hangs – the most relaxing way to spend a couple hours after a hike.
7 – Jen came down from Germany and a friend reunion happened this summer. Most of the high school crew was all together for the first time in about 10 or 11 years (at least since our wedding).
8 – Had a bunch of campfire dinners out at a few different lakes. Was a nice way to just enjoy the outdoors (minus the mosquitos). (We don’t have a backyard)
9 – Backed the Peak Design Tripod on Kickstarter. I have been looking for a great hiking tripod for quite a number of years and could never find one, so I’ve gone without (my current tripod is awful). So the moment this tripod came out on Kickstarter I was all over it and placed my order. Cannot wait for it to arrive!
10 – Hiked Parker Ridge. This hike was amazing!
Blog Post: Feeling The High Of Accomplishment From Our Parker Ridge Hike
11 – Experienced Angel Glacier cracking when we hiked Path of the Glacier trail at Mount Edith Cavell area. (Nothing we could see fell off, but we heard it making noise and it sounded really cool)
Blog Post: Mt. Edith Cavell & Angel Glacier
12 – Valley of the Five Lakes took my breath away. Aside from being rushed to finish about the last half due to an approaching lightning storm, the bright vivid colours of the lakes during this hike were incredible. I would LOVE to kayak these one day (however, packing my kayak – even though I can fold it up into a backpack, might be a little challenging…)
Blog Post: Valley of The Five Lakes
13 – When driving home one night, we saw a meteor light up the sky. It was incredible!
(no photo of this – was driving and it came out of no where)
14 – Standing in front of Troll Falls (not frozen this time around) was totally refreshing! Especially during one of the hottest days we had this year.
15 – Saw my niece for the first time in way too long (unfortunately under unfortunate circumstances), but it was great to spend a few days with her!
16 – Booked the Berg Lake Trail for 2020. Attempt number two, here we come!
17 – I now have a Risk Guru Specialization role at work. This means that some of my days are now answering emails rather than being on live channels (chats/phones) which really helps break up my days.
18 – Finally started getting my business that I have been dreaming of for a few years ready for a 2020 launch! I am absolutely terrified, but also really excited to start this! (Stay tuned for an announcement in a couple months).
19 – Found a new hiking place just outside of the city. We did a late autumn hike there, and it was gorgeous! Cannot wait to hike there in the summer!
And now for the misadventures…
The less than perfect moments that I experienced throughout the year:
– Coldest winter ever. So not much getting outside during the winter months.
– Had a really nasty spill the first day out on my cross country skis. I had stopped for a second and Josh came in way too fast and didn’t stop until he crashed into me. I ended up hurting my tailbone and hit my head. Ouch!
– Our Drumheller trip was just all in all a bad time.
Blog post: Having a Bad Time in the Badlands
– Almost ran out of gas coming home from Drumheller. Made it to the pump JUST in time.
Note to self: Just stop and fill up somewhere. It only takes a few minutes.
– Was heading to the ferry and the one we wanted to be on heading to Nanaimo was booked solid for the rest of the day. We JUST made it onto the next sailing going to Victoria and had to change our route on the fly.
– Got a massive allergic reaction from something I ate at the ferry terminal. Wasn’t bad the first night, but after I woke up the next morning I knew we weren’t going to be heading out on our backpacking trip and ended up making our way home that day.
– Thought we found a really nice lake to go kayaking on (based on the photos online). Once we got there it was a PERFECT night for a paddle, but the lake was “dead” and there were so many dead birds along the shore. It was disgusting!
– Went camping and Josh popped the air mattress as he was coming into the tent from kneeling on his belt that was laying on the bed. We randomly found a repair patch in our campsite, but it didn’t hold up through the night and woke up uncomfortable with a deflated mattress.
– Had a perfect day to go kayaking, but there was a storm that was due to arrive in a few hours. We decided to head out for a quick paddle and would be done by the time the storm was approaching, but the moment we finished setting up our kayaks the storm had arrived so we had to pack everything back up.
– Another kayaking outing, went to the one spot we normally go to and it was perfect, but there was blue-green algae. We head to our next best spot and the water is a bit wavy, it should be okay so we decide to give it a go. By the time we get our kayaks in, the waves had gotten a bit bigger. I get motion sickness easy, so waves are not my friend. I paddled around the dock and got out along the shore as fast as I could. Quickest kayak trip ever.
– My windshield was a magnet for rocks this summer. Thankfully just small repairs, but so annoying (and scary when they hit) nonetheless.
Here are to the adventures (and misadventures) 2020 will bring!
Until next time, chase the stoke!
– Tracey
Keep up to date on my adventures on social media.
Follow me on Instagram and Twitter!
No Comments